1. Field of the Invention
My invention relates to random number selection apparatus, and more particularly to apparatus for randomly selecting individual numbers from a predetermined set of numbers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Apparatuses for randomly selecting individual numbers from a predetermined set of numbers are well known in the prior art. Such apparatuses are used, for example, in connection with board games, or for making number selections to be played in state lotteries.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,497,487, issued to Henry O. Crippen on Feb. 5, 1985, shows and describes a chance device which is comprised of two icosahedronal dice or casting bodies, one icosahedronal die having numbers thereon representing ten (10) odd numbers and ten (10) even numbers, from one to forty, and the other icosahedronal die having numbers thereon representing the remaining twenty numbers, from one to forty. This patent teaches that the dice or casting bodies disclosed therein are to be used in the playing of the New York State Lottery game, called "Lotto", in which six numbers from one to forty are selected by random, sequential drawing of air-mixed numbered balls, the object of the game being to match as many of the thus randomly selected numbers as possible.
As a further example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,208,754, issued to F. F. S. Sieve on Sept. 28, 1965, shows and describes a dice game comprising a plurality of dice, each die of this plurality being configured as one of the Platonic solids. In the game of this patent the number of solids may vary from two to any desired number, but it is preferred not to use more than four solids in addition to the tetrahedron, for
Other centrosymmetrical or substantially centrosymmetrical dice or casting bodies are shown and described in the following United States patents.
______________________________________ U.S. Pat. No. Inventor ______________________________________ 1,492,368 J. Funai 1,525,023 A. Brown 1,986,710 C. Brown 3,195,895 J. Kropinski 3,899,838 J. Lalley et al. 4,106,774 G. Seguin ______________________________________
It is to be understood that the term "prior art" as used herein or in any statement made by or on behalf of applicant means only that any document or thing referred to as prior art bears, directly or inferentially, a date which is earlier than the effective filing date hereof.
No representation or admission is made that any of the above-listed patents is part of the prior art, or that a search has been made, or that no more pertinent information exists.
While centrosymmetrical or substantially centrosymmetrical dice or casting bodies, such as the dice of the Crippen patent, provide compact and inexpensive apparatus for use in randomly selecting numbers from a predetermined set, they are characterized by certain disadvantages.
First, it is difficult to fabricate centrosymmetrical dice having a large plurality of faces to a sufficient degree of geometrical accuracy to assure that there is no statistical bias in favor of rolling one or several faces more frequently than other faces of the same die.
Secondly, it becomes difficult, as the number of faces increases, to rapidly and accurately determine which face is the selected, i.e., topmost face of a resting die, and therefore the selected face, especially when the particular die is dodecahedronal or icosahedronal.
Thirdly, certain centrosymmetrical dice of lesser numbers of faces, and in particular the tetrahedron, are found by some users to be awkward to cast.
Additionally, the faces of dodecahedronal and icosahedronal dice of sufficiently small mean radius to be convenient for carrying in the pocket, i.e., of the general size of common cubical dioe, are so small that the numbers imprinted thereupon are difficult for some users to read, especially in low illumination.